Executive Summary
Central government established the Sustainable Water Programme of Action in 2003, as part of the wider Sustainable Development Programme of Action. The vision of the programme is that freshwater is managed wisely to provide for the present and future social, cultural, environmental and economic well being of New Zealand.
A discussion document was released in December 2004, outlining the key issues with water management and a proposed package of actions. A total of 292 written submissions were received from a broad range of sectors. This report summarises those submissions.
The report outlines the views of each sector on the overall package of actions. Views on each of the issues and actions are also described. There was general agreement with the issues that had been identified. Submitters had differing views on the importance of individual issues, and identified some new issues.
There was a broad range of responses to the proposals to develop national policy statements and national environmental standards. Many submitters were supportive of decision-making occurring at the local level. A national policy statement could be useful if it is broad and strategic. National environmental standards may be useful to specify methodologies for nationally significant issues.
Many submitters were supportive of increased clarification on matters of national importance. However submitters were concerned about the implications of addressing nationally important values.
Submitters had a range of views on increased central government participation in regional planning. The suggestion of central government providing information, guidance and support to local government was welcomed by many submitters.
Views were divided on whether or not regional councils required additional mechanisms. Some submitters considered that existing tools were sufficient and/or they were not being used effectively. There was significant support for tools to address over-allocation and declining water quality; however, some submitters were cautious about clawback mechanisms.
There was a significant level of support for making it easier to transfer allocated water, although some submitters are reluctant to have money change hands. While many local government submitters supported the action, a similar number noted that transfer is already taking place. There was strong opposition to transfer from most Māori organisations. Submitters from the environmental sector and a number of others were concerned about possible privatisation of water or capture by corporate interests.
Managing the effects of diffuse discharges on water quality was considered to be a critical issue. Many submitters were disappointed that there were not more actions proposed to address the issue. While there was some support for developing market based mechanisms to manage diffuse discharges, the majority of submitters were strongly opposed to the proposal.
There was widespread support for developing regional plans; however, the ideal role for central government in regional plan development was not clear.
Many submitters were supportive of enhancing the participation of Māori in water management, although this was not universally supported. Submitters suggested actions that could be taken, in addition to enhancing consultation.
While a broad range of submitters were supportive of using market approaches in water management, submitters were concerned that the use of market mechanisms should be carefully considered, and tested through pilot projects. A number of submitters raised the question of ownership of water. Very few submitters supported having councils compare consent applications against each other.
The proposals involving awareness raising and pilot projects were widely supported. Some submitters identified implementation issues, and potential for duplication or conflict with regional council initiatives. Awareness raising and pilot projects were seen as part of a package, rather than the whole solution.
